Madison County leaders were reminded Jan. 25 that the county library is “a selling point for Madison County” and they were asked to fund it as such.

Victor Johnson, speaking on behalf of the Friends of the Library, asked the board to consider increasing the library’s budget in 2016 by $16,000.

“We have a showcase of a library, but we’re not showing people what we think it’s worth,” said Johnson, a local attorney.

Johnson noted that the employees at the library are among the lowest paid in the county and that the increase in funding would allow for a modest raise for part-time employees at the facility, while also allowing another eight-hour shift to be filled.

Commission chairman Anthony Dove noted that the commissioners simply provide a lump sum contribution to the library, which is part of the Athens Regional Library System. The library board then decides what to do with the funding.

Commissioners took no vote on the matter, but a couple of board members did voice support for the library. Commissioner Stanley Thomas said he’d like to see increases for the library and the Extra Special People program. Commissioner Theresa Bettis said the library deserves support, since it is a great resource for many people.

“I know how critical the library is,” said Bettis.

In other matters Jan. 25, county commission chairman Anthony Dove said the board will discuss the potential costs of adopting some private roads in the county at its Feb. 1 meeting. The board is frequently hit with requests from residents of private roads where conditions are bad or unsafe. By law, the board can’t work on private roads, but the commissioners can adopt roads if they are provided rights of way by residents on a private road. However, the commissioners have been reluctant to do so, because acceptance of one private road could lead to requests to maintain many others in the county.

Dove announced that Madison County Emergency Management Agency director Johnny Bridges is retiring, effective Jan. 31. Assistant director Marc Perry will fill the role through the end of the year.

Dove announced that the county has received its Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) check from the state for 2016 for $518,264. That money will be used to help pay for county road projects.

The board agreed to continue allocating a portion of the county car tax collections to the county industrial authority. When the state revamped car tax collections, lawmakers failed to include industrial authorities in the equation. But the county commissioners unanimously agreed to allow the IDA to continue receiving its car tax funding for this year.

However, commissioner Stanley Thomas asked IDA executive director Marvin White whether the IDA could consider using some of that funding to extend a water line approximately 1,900 feet so that the Neese-Sanford Fire Department could have a hydrant and a hook up to county water at the station. Thomas said the connection would give the department an on-site water source, which would allow on-site training, while also improving fire protection and lowering homeowner insurance rates in the area. Thomas said he’d like to see the BOC and the IDA work together to make that happen. White said the IDA doesn’t have the money for the project now.

“We’ll be glad to look at it, but I’m not sure we can do it,” said White. “It depends on the funding.”

The board agreed to pay $600 a month to continue leasing space for the county 9-1-1 service on a cell tower on Sam Bruce Road. The county had been paying $100 per month for the service. But the owner sought to bring the payment more in line with market value.

The board renewed a contract with Code Red for $7,300 for the county’s emergency alert system.

County code enforcement officer and animal control director Jack Huff told commissioners Monday that he plans to retire at the end of the year. He asked the board to approve a job reclassification for his assistant Beth Harmon, who will take on more of his duties this year. The board approved a reclassification, which will include a $1.15 an hour pay raise.

Jimmy Webb was approved as the public defender for probate and magistrate office cases. He will be paid $700 per month.

A Madison County veteran asked the board to consider exempting him from property taxes due to his disabled status and his service to the country. He was told that Sen. Frank Ginn has asked the state attorney general for an opinion on the matter.

The board held a moment of silence for two local residents who recently passed away: Jack Fendley and Bobby Sanders, as well as former commission chairman Bill Madden, who has suffered some recent health issues.

This article really has me wondering what the leadership of Madison County is thinking. I think I'll just number the items so I can stay organized.

1. Additional Library funding: While we do have a nice Library it's like saying I have a really nice horse and buggy and not enough people appreciate it.
BOC and Library supporters, while the Library is nice its the past. No one is going to move to Madison because you have a great Library. Companies wont come here and bring their jobs and tax revenue because their employees can leave the office and go look up something at the library for them.
The new library isn't as pretty looking but is considerably bigger, more efficient, and easier to access...it's called the internet. If you really want to help your residents, you'll work with Charter or AT&T or Parker Fiber and bring faster internet and competition to the horrible service and outrageous prices of Windstream. While I certainly don't want to put anyone out of work, the library needs to become a historic building and that's all. Companies who bring in tax revenue and jobs require high speed internet and not at ridiculous prices or after spending huge amounts of money to get it just for their company only. Move out of the dark ages BOC.

2. Private roads: Private roads are private roads. While that is hard to accept for someone who lives on one, they paid less for their property because of it and didn't mind it when they did.
Of course if the BOC followed some of my other comments on previous articles funding to adopt private roads may not be nonexistent. And lets face it, the fewer private roads the more attractive your county will look to new residents. That translates to more tax revenue.

3. This is a question: How quickly would the BOC put in 1,900 feet of water pipe if their house burned to the ground because fire fighters couldn't put out the fire quick enough? (Not really a question, I know.)
Don't spend money on a library. No lives will be affected if this doesn't happen. However, people losing their home because the fire fighters couldn't keep up with their training as often as possible and thus someones house burns down and displaces a family...that my fellow residents will affect families and possibly cost lives of those not healthy enough or too old to get out of the burning house quickly enough. Not to mention the families who will help support these displaced families after they've lost everything to a fire.

4. 911 service: Remember my comment about bringing Fiber into Madison and faster internet? Here's another area where it helps the people of Madison beyond internet, beyond businesses being attracted, etc. While bringing fiber into Madison will cost millions, I'm aware of this, you're already reducing costs because that cell tower won't get any cheaper. If the price doesn't go up over the next 48 months you're paying almost $30K for 911 cell tower service. Bring in fiber and eliminate this cost. This is not risky, cell towers aren't magic. Guess what cell towers are connected to their networks with...you guessed it, fiber. So you'll have your own or you'll have leased fiber from another provider, which is cheaper than cell tower service.

I'm praying for our county and our BOC. Much like our country, our county needs to make changes and they won't be easy, I'm not trying to imply with my comments they will be. But if we don't make them the problems we face may be harder to deal with than making the changes.

Thank you for your well articulated and reasoned comment. More than anything else, better internet service would set Madison County up for a better future. However, using it would need technical education for lots of people here and the library would be a good source to learn to use it. A good water/sewer system throughout would be a close second to enhancing growth in Madison County. And, as you write, private roads are private roads; unfortunately, I live on one.

Library will not bring people to this county. Internet people will be more important as time goes along. Guess someone in county needs to keep their family member employed. To note "show case " description made me laugh. That is so 80's and MC needs thinking past the 80's.

Private Road : wonder who getting favors to have their road maintain at the Tax Payer dime. DO ALL OF US remember Sam Bruce Road and the Bridge. What who paving will benefit most. pave roads only where many many people live and no paving in areas where flood plain located or bridge needs building.

Have you seen all the computers in the Madison County library? One huge room full as well as many stations outside that room. And they come with real technical help right there in the library. Also, there is a mobile computer lab that takes the library to the people, stopping in each town for scheduled classes. The library is there for the people who live here; its role is not to attract outsiders, but this library could do that as well.

Many of the folks seen working at the library are volunteers (that means unpaid) so please don't begrudge the library for asking for more funds; they are stretching their budget as far as is possible. The people working there for pay certainly aren't highly paid. Most people working at libraries, paid or unpaid, do it for the love of books, writing and learning, not money.

Maam Virginia our book loving Librarians are generally paid well. Yes some volenteer like many of our Vets who get shafted later by the VA or system. I am glad you have had great experience with help by our tax paid persons as many of us do not feel like you. The monies for mobile computers could be used to feed hungry children in our county or get kids out of poverty. Your view is the view that has caused many to say no to the work force and that is the reason work participation is the lowest in decades as they refuse to support persons that spewed you view.

"Well paid", I guess, is a relative word. Relative to Atlanta or even Athens, they are not well paid; relative to not working at all they are. There's a bigger picture here.

Those children need food because their parents struggle to make enough money. Learning new job skills, especially computers, can help them increase their earnings to where they would not need charity or taxpayer support. So society as a whole spending money to offer the chance to upgrade the skills of people needing society's support results in those people no longer needing society's support. That's spending money to save money in the long run.

Ms. Moss problem is better companies / better jobs will not come MC way till people believe our MC govt is better. Gawd you sold also like Bernie Sanders last night discussing education. ALSO to many so call IT people( computer people ) out there now . Look at Best Buy and their down sized Geek Squad. Learning computers OK but you need to understand job and job skills that a computer helps you with. Thinking your boss is going to give you a gold star for a 40 hr work week well bovine material. Our MC employees are paid well and their cost of living not a high for housing as cities you note.

Time for states to do Article V convention to amend US Constitution to make the Federal Govt live within means of reasonable taxation. Term limits also. Georgia needs such amendment of its Constitution. Our local governments need to limit excessive taxation as at this time the majority can not pay more taxes as living week to week pay check or limited savings and not due to over spending. We can not go back to Roosevelt time period when good MC families lost their farms and homes and where the privilege few like Ben can buy things at pennies on the dollar.

Georgia I think did a vote for Federal Govt Article V and passed but not sure if passed similar amendment for our state government ? Maybe someone can help in this area and let us know.

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